Tag: 2022

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) | REVIEW

(L-R) Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Isabella Sermon, and DeWanda Wise in Jurassic World: Dominion — PHOTO: Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Colin Trevorrow — Screenplay by Emily Carmichael and Colin Trevorrow.

Jurassic Park came out the year I was born. I grew up watching that masterpiece and Steven Spielberg’s sequel, The Lost World, over and over again. Heck, despite Joe Johnston’s Jurassic Park III not being particularly good, I still think about that movie all the time and have a lot of fun with it. So, why did this Jurassic Park fan not bother watching Jurassic World: Dominion when it was released theatrically or even review it until this point? Honestly, despite the fact that I liked 2015’s Jurassic World on first viewing and reviewed it favorably, I thought Fallen Kingdom was a low point for the film series and that it made decisions that took the franchise and turned it into something far less interesting than it should be. However, I was hopeful that said film’s ending would signal an interesting sequel, given it opened up dinosaurs to the entire world, but when I heard the negative word-of-mouth upon Jurassic World: Dominion‘s release, I felt incredibly deflated and had no desire to go and see it. That said, now that Gareth Edwards has released his attempt at a Jurassic Park sequel — with Jurassic World: Rebirth — I thought now was a good time to rip off the band-aid and finally review Dominion, which I, honestly, thought was a catastrophic attempt at a sequel.

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Alle For Fire (2022) | REVIEW

Anders W. Berthelsen and Mick Øgendahl in Rasmus Heide’s ALLE FOR FIRE — PHOTO: NORDISK FILM.

International title: All For Four — Directed by Rasmus Heide — Screenplay by Rasmus Heide and Mick Øgendahl.

In Denmark, comedies built around a group of relative stars or established comedians are extremely popular with audiences, and one of the recent successes of these has been the Alle For (meaning ‘All for’ with the first film being All For One, the second All For Two, and so on and so forth) film series. As these comedies are about small-time criminals and their attempts to make it big, there is an obvious comparison and that is Erik Balling’s Olsen Gang film series (original title: Olsen Banden), which is a beloved and iconic Danish crime comedy film series that spawned remakes in both Norway and Sweden, as well as several spin-offs. The Olsen Gang films are some of the most popular Danish films ever, and, even though the first film was released in the 1960s, most Danish millennials even know the franchise’s formula and their iconic lines by heart. The films are laugh-out-loud funny, well-made, and always supremely well-acted by the original cast. It is clear for all to see that the filmmakers behind the Alle For films desperately want them to be this generation’s Olsen Gang, but while the Alle For films are, admittedly, extremely popular with audiences, they are constantly negatively reviewed by critics, from film to film significant members of the original cast want less and less to do with it, and neither the comedy nor the heart ever comes close to touching what Erik Balling’s films were. Alle For Fire is the latest film in the series, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t come anywhere close to improving on what came before it in the series of films.

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Top Ten Films of 2022

This is a list of the best films of 2022. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is very late, but pay it no mind. The film industry in 2022 felt like a massive and powerful response to the limitations of the COVID-lockdown era. One action film saved the box office industry in America, one Asian film transcended borders to infect us all with joy, great filmmakers put out exceptional entries in their ouevre, and multiple different versions of Pinocchio were released — but only one of the made a positive impact. Let’s have a look at the best films of 2022.

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10th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards – 2022 – Film Awards

I know exactly what you’re thinking — you’re right. This awards’ list is way too late. Like I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the first half of the year was really busy for me for a variety of reasons. Some might say life got in the way. It happens. But, hey, I guess better late than never, right? Today, I’ll go over my film award winners for 2022. So, if you’ve been wondering, for instance, who my best supporting actress winner for 2022 was? Well, then you’re in luck — you’ll find out today. I’ve also split my previous ‘best sequel, prequel, or remake’ into two categories, which I am excited about. Let’s get to it.

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Babylon (2022) | REVIEW

Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

Directed by Damien Chazelle — Screenplay by Damien Chazelle.

Damien Chazelle has fast become one of my favorite filmmakers of his generation. His Whiplash is one of the most exciting, propulsive dramas of its decade. La La Land is a beautiful modern Hollywood musical that is now unfairly remembered for an Oscars gaffe. His First Man is a quietly moving and technically impressive character study. To make three films that are that sublime in a row is no easy feat. Last year, for his follow-up to that incredible run, Chazelle had reteamed with extraordinarily talented frequent collaborators of his like cinematographer Linus Sandgren, editor Tom Cross, and composer Justin Hurwitz to once again, like with La La Land, tell a story about the entertainment industry. Only this time it would be with a star-studded and expensive three-hour period piece epic. Did Chazelle recapture lightning in a bottle for the fourth time in a row? Well, let’s have a look.

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Pearl (2022) | REVIEW

Mia Goth in Ti West’s PEARL — PHOTO: A24.

Directed by Ti West (X) — Screenplay by Ti West.

In spite of its late release in my corner of the world, Pearl — a prequel to Ti West’s horror hit X — was initially released in the very same year as X was in the United States. Together they present us with a fascinating horror period piece exercise centered on the power of the craft of filmmaking, being and feeling seen, and the American Dream. Whereas X was set in the 1970s, Pearl takes place in 1918 and follows its titular character (played by Mia Goth), a young woman who lives with her German immigrant parents on a farm in Texas. This is, indeed, the same elderly woman that Mia Goth played while covered in make-up and prosthetics in X (one of her two roles in that film), and this film thus serves as an origin story for that character. In the film, we see how Pearl feels trapped and lonely partly due to the fact that her husband (played by Alistair Sewell) is fighting in World War One in Europe, while her strict mother (played by Tandi Wright) insists that she does chores on the farm. Meanwhile, Pearl becomes increasingly infatuated with entertainment and dancing, and she is desperate to one day get up on a stage and gain mass approval — which a theater projectionist (played by David Corenswet, who was recently chosen to be the next Superman) ensures her she is ‘pretty enough’ for.

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Vanskabte Land (2022) | REVIEW

Elliott Crosset Hove as ‘Lucas’ in GODLAND / VANSKABTE LAND — PHOTO: Maria von Hausswolff / Scanbox Entertainment.

International Title: Godland — Icelandic Title: Volaða land — Directed by Hlynur Pálmason — Screenplay by Hlynur Pálmason.

Hlynur Pálmason’s Vanskabte Land takes place in the late 19th Century when Iceland was under Danish rule. The film follows a young Danish priest named Lucas (played by Elliott Crosset Hove) who is instructed to travel to Iceland and oversee the establishment of a new parish church in a Danish settlement. In spite of the fact that he has been warned about the harsh weather, the landscape, and the overwhelming temperatures, Lucas decides against merely sailing directly to the Danish settlement, and he, instead, decides to take on an arduous journey across Iceland and witness the country’s wonders and dangers firsthand for the purpose of documenting it with his extremely heavy camera equipment. Lucas, however, has bit off way more than he can chew, as the new overwhelming environment makes him ill-tempered and unprepared to even try to learn the language. When he loses his translator, Lucas is overcome with despair and growing animosity towards his guide, Ragnar (played by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson), who has a complicated relationship with the Danish language.

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Broker (2022) | REVIEW

Song Kang-ho and Gang Dong-won in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s BROKER — PHOTO: Zip Cinema & CJ ENM Co, Ltd, All Rights Reserved.

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda — Screenplay by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

First released in competition at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Broker is the 15th narrative feature from Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. The film takes place in South Korea, and it primarily follows Ha Sang-hyeon (played by Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (played by Gang Dong-won) as they steal a baby from a baby box (a concept that was new to me) — a box where mothers can leave their newborn babies and thus anonymously give them up for adoption or an orphanage — to sell it on the adoption black market. Soon, the young mother (played by Lee Ji-eun) who abandoned her child tracks them down and joins them on a road trip to help them interview the child’s potential parents. Meanwhile, the authorities are on their trail and trying to catch them in the act of selling the bay.

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10th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards – 2022 – TV & Misc. Awards

With my best television shows of 2022-list having now been released, it’s time to stop delaying these awards posts. Just like the last few years, I’m splitting up my awards into two parts. This post — the first part — celebrates the best in television, superhero storytelling, gaming, and in music. The film awards will be revealed in an upcoming post, but, for now, we’ve got a lot of great stuff to get to. So, let’s do that!

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The 95th Oscars Ceremony was safe and relatively predictable (and that’s okay)

Host Jimmy Kimmel is danced off the stage by dancers performing the ‘Naatu Naatu’ dance from RRR — PHOTO: Carlos Barria/Reuters.

We’ve now all had some time to sleep on and sit with the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, and, so, now feels like a good time to look back and assess what is supposed to be the biggest night in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel was back to be the host, all of the categories were back, and it never got physical like last year did. It was therefore meant to be a normal Oscars ceremony, but what does a normal Oscars ceremony look like in 2023, and how should we feel about this year’s list of winners? Well, I have thoughts. 

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